Customer Reviews

Personal Witness: Israel through My Eyes

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Known as the man with the "golden tongue," Eban recounts his years in Washington and at the U.N. as Israel's first envoy, and later as foreign minister. As the saying goes, he has been there, seen it and met with everyone who is anyone among the world's leaders in Israel's formative years.

Abba Eban was Israel's most articulate and persuasive Israeli spokesman to the world. His remarkable presentation of Israel's case at the time of the Six- Day War made many friends for Israel. He was a career diplomat of enormous intelligence and skill. In this work he looks at the struggle of Israel for statehood, recognition and peace with its neighbors. He is an inside observer , and one who does not refraim from criticism where he feels it due. His great intelligence and wisdom, his understanding of diplomacy and political reality are revealed in every page of this volume.

Read this book and you not only get to know about the history and development of Israel you also get to feel and perceive the heart and mind of one of its greatest representatives.

After completing Paul Thompson's History of the Jews, I revisited my first reading in '95 of Personal Witness. This reading was much more meaningful in light of Thompson's outstanding work. Eban's cogent testimony of Israel's struggle for nationhood was filled with dextrous gems of awesome and often droll prose.

Eban's book also gives valuable insight into the workings of the United Nations and its genuine as opposed to perceived role in world government. His insights on the character of national leaders and venerated diplomats is frosting on the cake.

Highly recommend this difficult to lay down book for some eye-opening lucidation on Israel and its struggle against absurd obstacles.